Hedo Turkoglu's World Championships Tracker

Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu represented host-country Turkey in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Check out this game-by-game summary of how he played in the competition by reading below.

Sept. 12- In the much-anticipated gold-medal game of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Instanbul, Turkey dropped an 81-64 decision to the United States in front of a boisterous home crowd.

Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu, who was the lone Turkish player in double figures, scored 16 for his country on 5-of-8 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from downtown. Turkoglu, who also added seven rebounds, had to leave the game due to an injured knee.

He would return, but it wouldn’t be enough for Turkey. The host country was just unable to overcome the stifling pressure defense of the U.S., which held Turkey to just 36 percent shooting from the field.

The two countries were the only two remaining clubs to go undefeated throughout the tournament. Kevin Durant led USA in scoring with 28 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

Both Durant and Turkoglu were named to the All-Tournament Team. The U.S. captured its first world championship in 16 years.

Sept. 11- In front of a packed house in Instanbul, host-country Turkey eked out an 83-82 nail-biter over Serbia in the semifinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu scored a team-high 16 points, including 3-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Down 82-81 with 4.3 seconds to play, the ball was inbounded to Turkoglu, who lost control of it on the left wing.

However, Turkish point guard Kerem Tunceri was able to scoop up the ball and then race to the hoop for the game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left. The victory sets up a winner-take-all battle between the only two undefeated teams in the tournament: the United States and Turkey.

The United States, which was led by Kevin Durant’s 38 points (an American world-championship record), will tip off against the host country at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Sept.8- Although Slovenia proved to be a tough opponent throughout the 2010 FIBA World Championships, the team that earned that reputation was nowhere to be found against Turkey in the quarterfinals.

Turkey, which took a 19-point lead heading into the half, steamrolled to a 95-68 victory over Slovenia on Wednesday. The win moved host-country Turkey to a perfect 7-0 in the tournament.

Turkish captain and Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu posted 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds on the night, while Suns guard Goran Dragic struggled, totaling just five points and three assists on 1-of-7 shooting in 21 minutes.

For the tournament, Dragic finished second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg), first in assists (4.0 apg) and fourth in rebounding (3.6 rpg). Populated by only two million people, Slovenia concluded the tournament 5-2, falling only to Turkey and the United States.

Turkey, on the other hand, will head into the semifinals to face Serbia, which knocked off Spain on Wednesday. Serbia is 6-1 thus far.

Sept. 5- After cruising to a 15-point advantage at the half, Turkey rolled to a 95-77 victory over France in the round of 16 of the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu scored a team-high 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from downtown.

Turkey Head Coach Bogdan Tanjevic told FIBA.com, “We found France to be tough and playing great defense. Before Hidayet Turkoglu opened the shooting and from them on, we found everything easy. We played another good game, great defense and executed on offense.”

Turkoglu, who also added four rebounds, three assists and a block, helped lead an attack that shot 64 percent from the floor. Turkey will face a Goran Dragic-led Slovenian squad in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Sept. 2- In the final game of group play for Turkey, the host country ran away with an 87-40 victory over China on Thursday. Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu only played for 10 minutes, shooting 1-of-2 from the floor, registering five points, three rebounds and two assists.

Turkoglu was the lone starter to play for Turkey, which wanted to give its bench players more minutes before the elimination rounds. Turkey went an undefeated 5-0 in Group C, setting up a matchup against New Zealand in the next round.

Sept. 1- Suns forward hedo Turkoglu finally caught fire at the FIBA World Championships, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from behind the arc as Turkey eked out a 79-77 win over Puerto Rico. Turkoglu added five assists for Turkey, which now sits atop Group C with a 4-0 record.

The Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds as the host team recovered from an early deficit and pulled away in the last quarter. Turkey’s next matchup is against China (1-3) on Thursday.

August 31- In a battle between the only two unbeaten countries in Group C, Turkey outlasted Greece 76-65 on Tuesday. In the third period, Turkey outscored Greece 24-12, giving Turkey a 14-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu continued to struggle with his shooting touch, hitting only 2-of-12 of his shots. However, he Turkoglu contribued eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the contest.

August 29- Turkey now stands at 2-0 in the 2010 FIBA World Championships after capturing a 65-56 victory over Russia on Sunday. Newly acquired Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu led the way for Turkey, registering a team-high 14 points, but on just 6-of-16 shooting. Fellow NBA forward Ersan Ilyasova added 10 points and 10 boards for Turkey.

As it stands, Turkey and Greece are atop of Group C with undefeated records. The two countries will face each other on Tuesday, August 31.

August 28- The 2010 FIBA World Championships tipped off this past weekend in Turkey, home of Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu. Turkey, which plays in Group C with Greece, Ivory Coast, Russia, Puerto Rico and China, opened against Ivory Coast.

Turkey strolled to an 86-47 win over the African country, with Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova pacing Turkey with 17 points and eight rebounds. Turkoglu, who couldn’t hit a field goal, still managed to collect six points, seven assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

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